(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle transporting carriers and, more particularly, to an improved xe2x80x9cwedgexe2x80x9d vehicle carrier which is substantially lighter and stronger than a conventional vehicle carrier of the same carrying capacity.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Vehicle carriers are used as trailers for supporting and transporting loads of vehicles. Traditionally, the vehicle carriers are constructed of metal, usually high-strength steel. While the steel structure provides strength, it also has a significant weight. Often vehicle carriers weight between about 4000 to 8000 pounds without load. This xe2x80x9cdeadxe2x80x9d weight reduces total carrying capacity or requires a larger towing vehicle than may be most economical.
While lighter weight metals like aluminum have been used by prior art carriers, the cost of the vehicle carrier is substantially increased thereby. While, decreasing carrier structure weight is advantageous because additional load can be transported, decreasing carrier structure weight also usually decreases carrier strength and stability and increases the likelihood of and amount of carrier structure deflection and failure. Furthermore, additional structural weight is added by additional components used for securing the vehicle loads to the carrier for transport.
While, eliminating additional non-supporting or non-structural components of vehicle carriers is one possible way to reduce overall carrier weight, many non-supporting or non-structural components are essential to ensuring safe and secure vehicle load anchorage for transport.
Generally, it is known in the prior art to employ a wedge-shaped vehicle carrier or trailer for providing adequate structural strength to support a load of more than one vehicle for transport. More preferably, the wedge-shaped vehicle carriers of the prior art are designed to support a load of about three to five vehicles for transport. As the wedge-shaped vehicle carriers were constructed to a larger scale to accommodate a larger number of vehicles, greater reinforcement within the wedge-shaped carrier structure is necessary to provide adequate strength to support that heavier load.
Prior art carriers generally have employed additional vertical components between the upper and lower frames in the support structure of the vehicle carrier, as shown in FIGS. 1A by TAKE3, 1B by SUN VALLEY and 1D by KAUFMAN TRAILERS. FIG. 1C shows a carrier structure designed by U""ALL and COUNTRYSIDE to have decreased weight by limiting the material in the carrier structure itself by using long I-beam.
Some of these prior art structures have also employed additional horizontal components for further reinforcement and partially non-vertical components above the running gear, as also shown in FIG. 1A. While the additional reinforcement components offered some increased strength and stability of the wedge-shaped vehicle carrier, the weight of the carrier was also substantially increased. Therefore, problems existed with prior art carriers having increased weight due to additional reinforcement components and deflection of the wedge-shaped carrier structure still occurred under load. Additionally, with the advent of larger sport utility vehicles, the prior art wedge-shaped vehicle carriers cannot accommodate the wider wheelbase without sacrificing vehicle stability and securing via traditional anchoring devices.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved vehicle carrier which is sufficiently strong to support large motor vehicles while, at the same time, is substantially lighter than a conventional vehicle carrier of the same carrying capacity.
The present invention is directed to a wedge-shaped vehicle carrier for supporting and transporting multi-vehicle loads having high structural strength and stability with a substantially decreased carrier weight. The vehicle carrier includes a lower frame having a forward end with a hitch for connecting the carrier to a truck and a rearward end downstream from the hitch and an upper deck having a face side and a back side. A triangular truss structure is positioned to distribute the load resting on and supported by the face side of the upper deck, the lower frame being positioned a spaced apart distance below the upper deck and connected to the upper deck by the triangular truss structure securedly attached between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame.
In the preferred embodiment, the truss structure includes a triangle truss component extending between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame and a vertical component attached to and connecting the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame. Thus, the triangular truss structure is asymmetrically shaped but still provides substantial strengthening.
Also, in the preferred embodiment, the carrier includes at least one downward lip securedly attached to and downwardly depending from the upper deck for removably attaching at least one positioner device for releasably anchoring the load to the face side of the upper deck.
By employing a triangular truss structure having vertical components and triangular truss components, the structural strength of a carrier constructed according to the present invention is increased by about fifty percent while the carrier weight is reduced by more than 1000 pounds or between about 10 and 25 percent of the overall weight of a similarly sized carrier, thereby permitting the transport load to be increased without compromising carrier strength.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an unrestricted support surface edge by providing anchoring means that extend below the vehicle load support surface; this unrestricted edge permits additional space for wider vehicles under transport. Thus, the present invention provides a lighter weight vehicle carrier that also provides adequate structural strength and stability for supporting and transporting multi-vehicle loads.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a vehicle carrier for supporting a load in transport including a lower frame having a forward end with a hitch for connecting the carrier to a truck and a rearward end downstream from the hitch; an upper deck having a face side and a back side; and a triangular truss structure positioned to distribute the load resting on and supported by the face side of the upper deck, the lower frame positioned a spaced apart distance below the upper deck and connected to the upper deck by the triangular truss structure securedly attached between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a vehicle carrier for supporting a load in transport including a lower frame having a forward end with a hitch for connecting the carrier to a truck and a rearward end downstream from the hitch; an upper deck having a face side and a back side; and a triangular truss structure positioned to distribute the load resting on and supported by the face side of the upper deck, the lower frame positioned a spaced apart distance below the upper deck and connected to the upper deck via the triangular truss structure securedly attached between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame, the truss structure including a triangle truss component extending between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame and a vertical component attached to and connecting the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame wherein the triangular truss structure is asymmetrically shaped.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a vehicle carrier for supporting a load in transport including a lower frame having a forward end with a hitch for connecting the carrier to a truck and a rearward end downstream from the hitch; an upper deck having a face side and a back side; a triangular truss structure positioned to distribute the load resting on and supported by the face side of the upper deck, the lower frame positioned a spaced apart distance below the upper deck and connected to the upper deck by the triangular truss structure securedly attached between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame, the truss structure including a triangle truss component extending between the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame and a vertical component attached to and connecting the back side of the upper deck and the lower frame wherein the triangular truss structure is asymmetrically shaped; and at least one downward lip securedly attached to and downwardly depending from the upper deck for removably attaching at least one positioner device for releasably anchoring the load to the face side of the upper deck.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.